Jeremy Snyder always knew he was going to pursue a career in the military. He joined the Navy, but the day before he was to be deployed his life forever changed.
His bunkmate, whom he had just met hours prior, decided he did not want to be sent overseas, Snyder said. Instead, he decided to assault Snyder, “sucker-punching” him then stomping on the side of his face and crushing half his skull.
Snyder said that a portion of his face is now all metal and he has no feeling in his lower eyelid. His assaulter went
AWOL and was finally caught after nearly a year. Snyder, however, could not be deployed due to his injuries.
“As you can imagine, something that’s as traumatic as that you can end up with some PTSD so they medically retired me and I got out in 2004, the incident occurred in 2001,” Snyder said.
He immediately transitioned into law enforcement where he worked for 12 years. He worked as a narcotics detective where he said he worked a lot with canine units on raids. He was task forced with the DEA and was a part of HIDTA, a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Agency.
Over his career, he said he probably purchased millions of dollars of drugs and was involved with federal cases where they took out massive drug rings.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous,” Snyder said. “I’ve had guns held against my head. I’ve bought meth from places that are very dirty that you don’t want to even be in or sit down or touch it because you know that the likelihood of you getting contaminated or even overdosing just from the contact from the drugs is highly probable.”
But despite the risk, he loved his job. It wasn’t until he settled down and started a family that he began to look for a career that would ensure he would be able to come home every night. Now he is a vice president of a software company. While it is definitely a more relaxing job, he admits there are moments where he genuinely misses his career in law enforcement.
His family recently just got a little larger after he added a young Belgian Malinois named Jed, a typical police dog, to the mix.
“I worked with a lot of dogs and recently it was suggested to me that I start looking into emotional support and service animals,” Snyder said. “I have a friend who breeds these. His dad and mom are some of the Westminster champions.”
Snyder has had Jed for approximately one month and he has already mastered many basic commands. He said it takes approximately a two years to get through all the necessary training to have a truly qualified service dog.
“This isn’t a replacement for traditional therapies and medications, but dogs have a way of calming people and they also have a way of being relentless and not giving up until you’re 110% done with, let’s say an anxiety attack or things like that,” Snyder said. “They work to allow you to basically calmly remove yourself from situations where it might be more awkward to try to leave something like say a party or a business or a restaurant.”
Snyder has always loved animals. Prior to Jed, he had a German Shepherd for 12 years. In a way, he said Jed is helping fill that void. Jed’s breeding and intelligence are already shining through. He learns quickly and has boundless energy, but has retained a focused and calm spirit.
Unfortunately, people will sometimes abuse the privilege of having a service dog. When people fail to train the animal correctly, Snyder said, it gives the therapy a bad reputation.
However, if properly trained, therapy dogs offer a great service for those in need. They can be trained to help snap people out of anxiety attacks by providing soft nudges or pawing at their owner. They can deliver medication, wake their owner up from night terrors, provide a sense of comfort in crowded areas and offer an excuse to get their owners out of situations when they begin to feel overwhelmed.
PTSD and emotional support animals are not simply for
veterans. Many children and adults who have suffered through intense experiences seek solace in the pets. Snyder said it’s crucial to remember that just because someone appears to be normal, it doesn’t mean they aren’t struggling.
As for Jed, the puppy is currently being socialized with other dogs and people during his daily visits to the Walden Lake dog park. His temperament and zeal for life make him a perfect addition to Snyder’s family. After a life of service, Snyder is well on the way to training his loyal companion.
“I’ve always been very positive in nature, the military was my career choice, it was always something that I had wholeheartedly intended to do,” Snyder said. “I would say that deep down inside I have always been a public servant. Going into the military was natural. Getting out and going into law enforcement and helping people was the same.”